Wade M. Aubry, M.D., Senior Advisor
Dr. Aubry leads Technology Forecast research, the Methodology Committee, and the Health Plan Initiatives program for HealthTech. He is also a principal with the new Center for Medical Technology Policy at HealthTech. He has extensive experience with the Blue Cross Blue Shield system as a former Senior Vice President and Chief Medical Officer for Blue Shield of California, and as National Medical Consultant for the Blue Cross Blue Shield Association (BCBSA). At BCBSA, he served as Chairman of the Technology Evaluation Center (TEC) Medical Advisory Panel and has represented the BCBS system in a variety of national roles related to technology assessment, coverage and reimbursement, CPT coding, clinical trials support initiatives, disease management, performance measurement, and quality of care.

Dr. Aubry is currently a member of the CMS Medicare Coverage Advisory Committee (MCAC), the NCQA Geriatrics Measurement Advisory Panel (GMAP), and the American College of Radiology Imaging Network (ACRIN) Advisory Panel. He is Associate Clinical Professor of Medicine at the UCSF Institute for Health Policy Studies, Adjunct Associate at the Stanford Center for Health Policy, and a visiting lecturer at the UC Berkeley and UCLA Schools of Public Health on medical technology issues. In addition to working with HealthTech, Dr. Aubry has also served as a Medicare Part B Carrier Medical Director, as a member of the HCFA Technology Advisory Committee, as a Vice President for the Lewin Group, as Chairman of the Board of the Medical Outcomes Trust, as a CHW Institutional Review Board Chairman, and as a member of several IOM and NIH Committees related to medical technology. Dr. Aubry received his B.S. degree Phi Beta Kappa from Stanford University and his M.D. degree from the UCLA School of Medicine. He is Board-Certified in Internal Medicine.

Joyce Berger, R.N., MPH, Senior Advisor
Joyce Berger leads research, the Healthcare Environments of the Future program, and the Technology Planning Tools for HealthTech. She has had extensive experience in hospital and health system operations and the management of complex projects. She has been with the Health Technology Center since it’s inception and works on general research as well as leading the work of Healthcare Environments of the Future. Previously, as a consultant to Kaiser Permanente on the Templates 2000 project, Joyce managed 46 clinician and staff work groups, which developed national facility planning tools for the future development of Kaiser hospitals and ambulatory services. This process included technology planning and development of forecasting tools. Joyce has more than ten years experience with Kaiser Permanente, holding positions as Medical Group Administrator and Hospital Administrator, later moving to Area Manager, Senior Vice-President and Chief Operating Officer of the California Division North, and Managing Director of Kaiser’s International Consulting Group. Her experience also includes CEO of an inner city public hospital and Executive Director of a Community Clinic. Joyce holds degrees from the University of Alberta and University of California at Berkeley.

Barbara Harvath, B.A., RN., Senior Advisor
Before joining Health Tech, Ms. Harvath ran her own consulting business specializing in preparing healthcare systems for emerging technologies and reengineering workflow related to technology adoption. Her work includes directing the Emerging Medical Technologies team for the Sisters of Mercy Health System a 19 hospital system, in St. Louis, MO and running the epidemiology programs for the Betty Ford Center and Eisenhower Medical Center in Rancho Mirage, CA.

As a Director of Strategic Quality Management Consulting for Quorum Health Resources in Brentwood, TN, she consulted in the areas of Performance Improvement, Operations Improvement, Regulatory and Accreditation Compliance and Customer Service Improvement for their 270 managed hospitals. Ms. Harvath worked in clinical nursing for over 10 years before moving into administrative roles at NorthBay Medical Center in Fairfield, CA.

Ms. Harvath has a nursing degree from Solano College, and a BA in Public Service Administration from UC Davis. Her education includes a congressional internship in healthcare public policy.

Thomas C. Tinstman, MBA, Senior Advisor
Thomas C. Tinstman, M.D., serves as HealthTech's Information Technology Advisor. Dr. Tinstman is an independent consultant specializing in change management. His expertise in process redesign and his extensive knowledge of technology are tools he uses to advise health care delivery organizations on improving safety, efficacy, cost, and satisfaction for the clinician and patient in both inpatient and outpatient settings.

Dr. Tinstman was the Executive Director for Clinical Information Systems at University of California Davis Health System (UCDHS) in Sacramento, California, from 2001 until January, 2007. In this role, Dr. Tinstman was responsible for information systems strategy, implementing and operating all clinical systems and Health Information Management. Prior to joining UCDHS, Dr. Tinstman was the CMO at Cerner Corporation for six years. Dr. Tinstman served as Director of Medical Informatics at the University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston, Texas. Concurrent with his appointment at the University of Texas, Dr. Tinstman was Associate Medical Director for the Texas Department of Criminal Justice. Dr. Tinstman practiced in Omaha, Nebraska, for seventeen years, during which time he also served as CEO of a major medical group for three years. From 1989 - 1993, Dr. Tinstman served on the Patient Focused Care Steering Committee of Clarkson Hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, which focused on reengineering the patient care process.

Dr. Tinstman earned his bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska and his medical degree from the University of Nebraska College of Medicine. He completed post-graduate training in internal medicine, pulmonary medicine, and critical care at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.

David A. Lindeman, PhD, Senior Advisor
Dr. Lindeman serves as HealthTech's Advisor for gerontology and geriatrics. Dr. Lindeman has worked in the field of aging and long-term care for 30 years as a health services researcher and administrator. He has conducted interdisciplinary applied research studies, developed innovative community-based and residential programs for older adults, designed gerontological education and dissemination programs, and been active in long-term care public policy.

Dr. Lindeman has been Principal Investigator or Co-Principal Investigator on numerous studies funded by federal, state and private sources. Among these are the Virtual Integrated Practice Program (John Hartford Foundation), an initiative to improve communication in primary care practices; Online Caregiving Programs (American Business Collaboration), initiatives to empower working caregivers; and PREPARE and LEAP programs (Health Resources Service Administration, US DHHS), initiatives to improve communication and retention within the long-term care work force.

Dr. Lindeman most recently was the Vice President and founder of the Mather LifeWays Institute on Aging in Evanston, IL where he was responsible for developing and evaluating evidence-based programs, demonstrations, education and dissemination initiatives that focused on: 1) promoting wellness for older adults, 2) enhancing the senior living workforce, 3) empowering family caregivers, and 4) creating effective memory support interventions. Previously he held positions as Associate Professor of Health Policy at the Rush Institute for Healthy Aging, Rush University Medical Center in Chicago and Co-Director of the UC, Davis Northern California Alzheimer’s Disease Center. Dr. Lindeman received his PhD and MSW from UC Berkeley and his BA from SUNY Binghamton.